The Banjo occurrence is located near the headwaters of Kliyul Creek, approximately 12 kilometres south-southeast of Johanson Lake (Assessment Report 13580). The Bap veins, included in this occurrence, lie approximately 400 metres to the northeast. These two vein systems are similar to other nearby vein systems such as the KC (094D 140) and the Bruce (094D 013). For the general regional geology, refer to both of these occurrences.
Locally, the area is underlain by andesitic tuffs, minor intercalated greywackes and calcareous argillites, and hornblende or feldspar porphyry flows of the Upper Triassic Takla Group. These rocks are intruded by hornblende diorite, dioritic feldspar porphyry dikes and biotite hornblende monzonite porphyry phases of the Early Cretaceous Kliyul Creek body. Emplacement of the intrusive rocks appears to be controlled by a southeast trending splay off the Dortatelle fault (Assessment Report 13580). Alteration zones are formed where faults cut the andesitic rocks. The alteration minerals include quartz, sericite, chlorite, carbonate and pyrite.
The Banjo veins consist of silicified and pyritized shear zones and quartz veins cutting the biotite-hornblende monzonite porphyry. Pyrite occurs as disseminations or in small fracture seams within both the quartz veins and shear zones. Malachite staining occurs near these zones. A grab sample of siliceous andesite tuff, with seams of pyrite, assayed 0.7 gram per tonne gold, 3 grams per tonne silver and 0.11 per cent copper (Assessment Report 13580).
The Bap veins consist of several north and northwest-trending quartz veins hosted in andesitic tuffs. The veins contain massive and disseminated chalcopyrite, malachite and pyrite with minor galena and sphalerite (Assessment Report 5600). Chalcocite occurs along some of the fractures and there are numerous intervals of malachite and manganese-stained gossanous ash tuffs surrounding the veins. Mineralization is not restricted to the veins and a copper-rich zone of bedrock material assayed 0.62 per cent copper over 3 metres (Assessment Report 5600).
The Bap group of claims was held by BP Minerals Limited in 1974. Work included geological mapping, ground magnetometer and electromagnetic surveys over 2.2 line-miles, and a geochemical survey comprising 271 soil and talus fines samples, and 73 chip and channel samples. In 1975 three trenches were blasted on the BAP and the soil grid was extended, but results were not notable. In 1976, 7 lines of electromagnetic geophysics over their sample grid, identified 6 northwest-trending zones of weak conductivity that were interpreted as either shear zones or water-filled strongly fractured zones (Assessment Report 5976).
In 1981, on the Independence and Bap occurrences, Golden Rule Resources re-staked over BP's former claims and discovered small (0.3 to 2 metres) wide northwest-striking quartz-pyrite-chalcopyrite-galena veins on what is now the southern border of the Kliyul property. The veins contained 2.3 to 36.4 grams per tonne gold and 2.6 to 150 grams per tonne silver (Assessment Report 10346).
In 1984, Golden Rule Resources, explored the potential of gold-bearing quartz veins on their KC claims which included Independence (094D 028) and Banjo (Bap) (094D 029). They reported an extensive 70 degree striking, variably silicified, fracture zone hosting 0.2 to 1.3 metre wide quartz veins in regions of intense fracturing and silicification. Cross-fracturing in the quartz veins were described as mineralized with up to 30 per cent pyrite and lesser galena, chalcopyrite and sphalerite; float samples assayed up to 122 grams per tonne gold and 70 grams per tonne silver (Assessment Report 13580).
In 1986, Ritz Resources optioned the KC claims which included Independence (094D 028) and Banjo (Bap) (094D 029). They completed geochemical and geophysical surveys over two small grids in the northwestern corner of the property investigating the gold potential (Assessment Report 15583). The Banjo and North grid areas were surveyed by VLF-EM and magnetic.
In 1986, Lemming Resources optioned the remaining BAP claims from BP Resources and collected 90 grid-based talus fine samples on the Bap Ridge area to refine location of gold anomalies previously reported.
In 1992 Noranda carried out 1:5,000 scale geological and alteration mapping and in 1993, they drilled 6 reverse circulation holes on the Kliyul skarn zone (Assessment Report 23033) and followed up with an airborne magnetic, electromagnetic, and radiometric survey (Assessment Report 23379). This airborne survey also nearly covered 25 MINFILE occurrences including Independence (094D 028) and Banjo (BAP) (094D 029).
In 1994, Hemlo Gold Mines Inc. collected a total of 324 soils and 85 rocks on their Croydon Property. The soil geochemical program conducted over the Croydon property essentially focused on the gossanous ridge covered by the Bap 10, 14 and 18 mineral claims, a favorable stratigraphy known to host skarn mineralization in other localities, monzodioritic intrusives, and anomalous geochemistry as outlined by previous operators. A large, greater than 100 parts per billion, gold in soil anomaly is located between lines 64600N and 66200N, centered at approximately 79400E (the base line) (Assessment Report 23544 and 23681). This anomalous zone varies from 100 to 750 metres in width and strikes for 1.6 kilometres in a northwest direction. It was open to the northwest. See claim map (Drawing 2, Assessment Report 23544).
Refer to Independence (094D 028) and KC 1 (094D 180) for related geological and work history information.
